Stress intensity Factors calculated generally by the Finite Element Technique

Abstract

THE concept of the stress intensity factor K has proved particularly useful in the study of opening mode crack growth problems where the nominal stress level is well below the yield stress of the material. Closed-form solutions for stress intensity factors can be obtained by analytical methods, but these are limited to a few restricted cases. Computer programs, based either on the boundary collocation of a stress function or on complex variable mapping methods, have been used to obtain the opening mode stress intensity factor K₁ for various two-dimensional geometries¹. Semi-empirical methods have also been proposed². There is, however, still a need for a general method, with a sound theoretical basis, for calculating K₁ for cracks in bodies of arbitrary shape.